Advanced Search

Outpatient Facility Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

Know When to Use 31622 and 31623

Published on Tue Aug 11, 2015 Print Friendly and PDF PDF

Question: My doctor wants me to bill 31623 and 31622 for services during the same encounter, but I don’t think I can bill both. Would you confirm for me? 

Arkansas Subscriber 

Answer: You are correct that you can’t report both codes together if the pulmonologist performed one bronchoscopy with brushings. Code 31622 (Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including  fluoroscopic guidance, when performed; diagnostic, with cell washing, when performed [separate procedure]) represents a diagnostic bronchoscopy and is inherent in the procedure represented by 31623 (Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed; with brushing or protected brushings).

Remember: You should always report the most extensive procedure when selecting from a single family of codes. In this case, a bronchoscopy with brushings is more extensive than a simple diagnostic bronchoscopy, so you should only report 31623.

You cannot report separate procedures even if the physician performed the diagnostic bronchoscopy at a separate session on the same date. The National Correct Coding Initiative bundles the diagnostic bronchoscopy into other bronchoscopies without the ability to unbundle the services when appropriate.

Other Articles in this issue of

Outpatient Facility Coding Alert

View All